Needle operating mechanism for axminster looms



0; V. PAYNE Oct. 7, 1941.

NEEDLE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR AXMINSTER LOOMS Filed Oct. 28, 1940 5Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR OscAR V PAYNE Afronnzv Oct. 7,1941. 7 o. v.PAYNE NEEDLE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR AXMINSTER LOOMS Filed Oct. 28, 19403 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 h m w R w v N M A m E w m& .x: m R m & i A C 5 5 P aJ o a w s2 wfi wr r3 2: QW\ MHI=H. \Q w mhk m MK. mg PEI-H1 a Q m r L wf E \wF n MN. my mh Q Had I {Pp i N BL E lu l \Mv o S. m 6 o &.\W\. 20 mI: m 4 W n. fi an 3 Nn Oct. 7, 1941.

o. v. PAYNE NEEDLE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR AXMINSTER LOOMS 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 28, 1940 OSCAR. V. PAYNE ATTORNEY PatentedDot. 7, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT oFncE NEEDLE OPERATING MECHANISM FORAXMINSTER LOOMS Oscar V. Payne,,.Leicester, Mass., assignor to Crompton& Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts rl cefio q o er 28, 1940, r a No- 63 12 15 Claims. o1. ce- 12.4),

This is a continuation in part of my co-pending application Serial No.293,184-fi1ed September 2, 1939. r i

.This invention relates to improvements in weft needle operating.mechanisms more particularly for Axminster looms and it is the generalobject of the invention to provide light weight actuating means capableof attaining high speeds.

It has been customary heretofore to drive the needles of Axminster loomsby means of a drum oscillated by a heavy reciprocating segment gear. Theweight of these parts has interfered with efforts to increase the speedof a loom and it is an important object of .mypresent inven-' tion toreplace the drumand segment gear by a system of stationary and movablepulleys around which is trained a cable connected to the needleoperating carriage. Each of the movable pulleys has the effect ofdoubling the motion of theneedle carriage, and by. employing .asuflicient number of movable pulleys I have been able to operate aneedle on a wide loom by mechanism which reciprocates the movable'pule lys through a comparatively short distance.

In Axminster looms theweft is derived from an outside stationary supportand is laid in the shed by a needle which must enter and leave the shedfor each crossingofthe harnesses. 'The harnesses are open sufiicientlyto receive the needle for approximately seven-.twelfths of a loom beat.The needle speed. is therefore relatively high since it must .traversethe shedtwic'e for each harness crossing, .orin slightly more thanone-half a second at sixty picks per min! ute, and any reduction. inweight ofthe needle actuating mechanism facilitates increase in loomspeed. Except for slight differences in the friction of the weft passingthrough the needle eye the work expended in moving the needle into theshed is substantially the same as that re quired to move it out of theshed and for this reason the cable already mentioned can be of uniformsize throughout its length. Thiscondition also means that the needleinserting and withdrawing parts of the mechanism wear uniformly, andcompensation for the wearing of both parts will be substantially thesame. i

It is a further object of my present invention to employ a cable theends of which are fixed relatively to each other and the intermediatepart of which is connected to a sliding needle" carriage,together with aset of movable sheaves so. related to the moving .cab1ethattheinteralong the needle rail when the pulleys move to cause a paying-out,motion of oneend of the cable wh ch is Just omp n a o by a s otening-of the other end. of thfi cable. 'This1re-.

suit may beaccornplished by leading the cable r m an a c or. a ou ha ofhe m va l pule mediate part of thelatter willbe caused to move 5.5.

has an hal of the s ti n ry ulleys and then connecting it to the needlecarriage, the re. mainder of the cable extending from the car.- riage tobe trained'around the remaining stationary and'movable pulleys andthenattached to ano her anc o In th s'way the cable s k t tau hrou houtthe re i roca n t needle. i

. It a urt erobiect o myp sent inventio to distribute the strains on themovable pulleys in sucha way as to efiect a; balancein the forces actingo he pu le s ppo t, thereby avoidin any tendency to twist the latter.If, for in: stance, three movable sheaves are employed for thatpart ofthe cable whichinserts the needle into the shed; two ofthem willberelatively near the support of. the. stud :carryingfthe pulleys whilethe third will be ata greater; distance-from th support. ,In Order toaccomplish thisjdistribution of strains I employ stationarypulleys whichare disposed diagonally so thatuthe top of the; stationarypulley willalign with;the movable pulley on one side of the support while-the botom o th qstatiq a y pu ley aligns w thanother movable pulleyontheopposite'side of the support. relatienship hasthe furthergadvanta eo e n th cabl 'sec ions par l not only with themselves but also. withthe av s, y reducin Wear .of the sheave flanges. g

Itis a further-object of my invention to conneat the selvage shuttle andmovable pulley driving mechanisms so that the shuttle will have anoperating motion when the pulleys are;at,or near that end ftheir strokewhich occurs when the needle is in the warp shed.

'It is another object of my invention'toqprovidefor tensioning at leastone end of the cable sufiiciently to keep the cable taut at all timesand avoidslipping of the .cableon the pulleys, thereby reducing wear ofboth the cable and pulleys. The yielding of the cable madeppossiblebywthe tensioning. means alsoavoidssshock andabrupt application of forceto the carriage and needle, thereby further facilitating operation athighspeeds. 1 7

.It is-another object oimy presentiinvention to. mount the pulleysystemon a structure one side of which'is theusual needle rail. In thisway I am able to use an existing part of the needle guiding mechanism toassist in supporting the mechanism which operates the pulleys and cable;

It is a still further object of my present invention to support themovable pulleys on a mounting so controlled that they move in a sub-'stantially straight line between the fixed pulleys. This result Iaccomplish by means of supporting the operating lever for the movablepulleys in such a way that the throw or amplitude game a carriage l2which slides along a stationary needle rail l3 sufficiently long toaccommodate the motion of the needle into and out of the Warp "ofswingo'f the lever can be varied for adjustff merit purposes withoutinterfering with the.

straight line motion of the pulleys carried -by the lever.

The cable which I employ preferablyhas the strands thereof given ahelical form before be ing assembled to form the cable. In this way eachstrand is freed from internal strains, and

a cable so formed operates with a minimum of stretch or breakage and istherefore favorable tol'ong life of the needle actuating: mechanism.

- It is a further object of my present invention to provide. improvedconnections between the cable sections and theneedle carriage so'thatthe cable may be disconnected temporarily from the needle and itscarriage for repair without danger that the cable will become unwrappedfrom the several pulleys. I

With these and other objects in' view which Will'appear as thedescription'proceeds, my invention resides in the combination andarrange ment of parts hereinafter described and set forth. In theaccompanying drawings, wherein a con- 7 venient embodiment of myinvention is set forth:

Fig. ll-is a diagrammatic plan View of an Axminster loom showing therelation between the loom and needle operating mechanism with'the needlein the shed, V a

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic end elevation of part of an Axminster loom withthe warp shed open to receive the needle, which is in section, lookingin the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 shows a front elevation of my needle mechanism as it would appearat the right hand end of a loom with the needle inthe shed, looking inthe direction of arrow 3, Fig. l, v

Fig. 4is aplan'view looking in the direction of arrow 4, Fig. 3. p

' Figs. 5 and 6 are end elevations-taken in the direction of arrows 5and 6, respectively,'Fig. 3,

shed.

The Weft thread W is drawn from a stationary package l4 and threadedthrough an eye 5 at the left end of the needle and thence to the righthand selvage at I6. A selvage shuttle I! having a selvage thread l3attached to the left hand selvage at I9 is moved along a shuttle race 20by an arm 21 secured to an oscillating vertical shaft22 and passesbetween the two parts of the weft W which lead to therig h't from theeye l5. The loom has a set of tube frames T three of which areshownin'Fig. 2. These tube frames are successively moved to a'deliverypoint under a pullover shaft 23 by two'transporting chains one of whichisshown at 24. The tube frame in delivery position is temporarilydisconnected from the chains and lowered to tuft forming position byarms 25. The tuft yarns Y are projected downwardly through the warpsheds as shown in Fig. 2 to positions between the cloth board and theneedle to the full line position of Fig. 2. The needle then lays a shotof weftand the reed beats up to force -the' Weft and yarn Fig. 7 is anend elevation of the lever for op- 1 erating the movable sheaves lookingin the direc tion of arrow 1, Fig; 3, V

Fig. 8 is a vertical section on line 8-8, Fig. 3,

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic front elevation on a 7 scale reduced from thatof Fig. 3 and showing the movable sheave actuating mechanism in threedifferent positions,

Fig. 10 is a detail of one end of the cable and its connector, showingthe form of the wire the means'for holding the cable ends taut whendisconnected 'from the needle carriage, and- Fig. 13 is an end elevationin the direction of arrow l3,Fig.l. V

Referring to thedrawings, particularly Fi'gs.

1 and 2, TI have'ishown vtheframe lflof' an Ax minster loomhaving acloth board i lover which theWOVen-fabric'F moves from the-point of tufttufts 'over the. hooks 26'on the cloth board H to a position in front ofthe hooks. The tube frame is then raised to draw off enough yarn for the'neXt row of tufts while the reed is held forward to prevent tuftslippage, and the harness frames shift to form a new shed. The front andback knives 21 and 28, respectively, then approach each other during theensuing backward motion of the reed and start to cut at the left endof'the loom as soon'as the reed has moved far enough rearward'ly toclear theback knife. Shortly thereafter the reed is back far enough to.permit'entry of the needle into the new shed which has been formed bythe harnesses. The needle travels in the Shed toward the left while theknives-are still cutting the yarns Y, and the cutting ordinarilycontinues until the needle is entirelyin the shed.

As the needle moves out of the shed the reed starts forward, cuttinghaving been completed and the rear knife having "moved back far enoughto clearthe advancing reed. The needle moves into and 'out ofeach warpshed and has a complete reciprocation for each backward stroke of thelay while the warp threads are spread apart toform a shed. The harnessesform a new shed foreachreciprocation of the needle. 7

The matter thus far described is of common construction and may beconstructed and operated as is customary in Axminster looms.

'.The,loom to whichimy invention is applied has extending therefromafloor plate 30 on which is supported an end frame tl bolted to the loomframe. Fastene'd'to the end frame is an upright bracket 32 to which theinner end of the needle rail- I3, is secured. The rail comprises top andbottom bars'tBT'and '34, respeotivelyfwhich are secured to an angle-bar.35 fastened to the bracket" 32:' The adjacent faces 36 of the barsare oblique to. form a dovetail'slot which receives guide shoe 3'! onthe needle carriage 'I2. The right endof .ment of the last named parts.receivesa stud 63 supported by ,a link 64 the left endof which as viewedin Fig. 3 is pivoted at 65 to a bearing 66secured .tofioorplate 39.1Lever 54 therefore fioats on links =5I .and .64 and I am able Fig. 3,by spring 11. through which extends a threaded rod 82 held in fixedadjusted position on the horn 8| by nuts 83,

the needle ran as seen-in Figs. Band :4, issecured .to'alsecondverticalbracket 38'mounted on a post :39 resting on thefloor.:The :needle rail is .thus .held in fixed position with respect'totheloom so thatthe needlemay be guidedalong the reed whenmoving into andout of the warp shed. .The needlerail and its mounting may beofthe'usual construction but enters into. one feature of my invention aswill bepointed out hereinafter.

The frame 3| supports a shaft49 which in the present instance rotatesonce in three beats of the loom. "This shaft is secured to a drivingspur gear 4I driven .by means not shown and also has fastened theretoabevel gear 42 having anuninterrupted series of teeth around itsperiphery: whichmesh .with a bevel pinion also having a continuousseries of teeth and secured to a cross shaft44 suitably supported. :Thelatter therefore rotates continuously and preferably with a uniformrateof motion, .and completes a rotation for. each beat of the loom.ISecured to shaft 44 is acrank arm45pivoted as at .46 to a drivingconnector.

Fastened to frame 3| is a bearing bracket 59 for a dependingtlink 5Ipivoted thereto at :52. The lower end of link 5| ispivoted on, a stud 53to which .theright hand end of link 41 is also pivoted. .Stud 53 issupportedbyafioatinglever 54 to the upper end of which is secured asheave pin 55 for a purpose: to be described. Stud 53 is preferablyequidistant from pivot :52 and pin 55.

As shown in Figs.'3..and '7, abearing foot 56 hasxa vertical extension.51 extending along the lower end 58 of lever 54. A'key 59 on extension51 fits into a slot 69 in the lever end 58, and slots 6| in lever54receive bolts 62 to fasten the lever to the foot and afford verticalrelativeadjust- The bearingfoot I an approximately .straight horizontalline because of the proportions already described.

The bracket .38, as shown in Figs. 4 vandfi, has

a horizontal footIfl resting on post 39 andformed with'a vertical end.II to which .is bolted the outer end of asteel channelbeam 12 the innerend of which is bolted to the frontend of bracket .32,;as at 13, asshown in Fig. 5. The needle rail,

brackets '32 and .38.,and'the channel bar 12 *therefore form a rigidrectangular frame on which are supported the fixed pulleys tobedescribed.

Bracket 32 has a vertical horn I5 in which, is

- slidably mounted a rod I6 the inner or left end of which as seen inFig.3 is surrounded by a compressionspring Il confinedbetween the hornI5 andan adjusting nut 18 threaded on the rod. A-rod head 19 on .the rodis pivoted to a cable terminal 199 which is normallylurged to the left,Bracket v38 has a horn BI and arod head85on rod-82 isapivoted to a cableterminal 86. The cable terminals are connected to the ends of a .cable,designated generally at C, which is :afhelic'al: form as indicatedinFig, l9 before-they :arewrapped :together to formthe cable. In this"way :thestrands andthe cable formed of them are freefrom resiliencewhich would tend to project them beyond'the outlined the cable. in caseof breakage; Such a-cable is subject to mini= mum breakage of 'thestrands and has been found to have long life in actual use.

I will howdescribe the pulleys and the manner in-which the cable istrained around them. The cable C could be continuous from one end to theother, but it is preferably formed of two sections 0' and ,C2 which arelargely at ;the left and right, respectivelyof lever 54 as viewed inFigs. -3and4. V

Assuming the parts to be aspshown in Fig. 3, :and starting at the left,the cable 0' extends from :terminal 99 to and partly around movablepulley 99 on stud 55, see Fig. 4, and then leads to the left to a fixedpulley 9I of larger diameter than pulley 99 and rotatable in a yokedbearing 92 having a threaded shank 93 held adjustably in bracket 32by-nuts 94. .Pulley 9I is inclined slightly upwardly andrearwardly asshown in Fig. 5, the bottom of pulley 9| being aligned with 'thebottomof pulley '99. The top of pulley 9| is aligned with the top of pulley 95on stud 55, to Whichgthe cable C next extends. Leaving the bottom ofpulley 95 the cable is led to the bottom of another stationary pulley 96rotatable on a yokedbearing 91 the shank 98 .of which is held adjustablyon bracket 32, by nuts 99. Pulley 96 is inclined upwardly and rearwardlymore than is pulley 9|, and is of greater diameter so that the bottom ofpulley 96 is aligned with the bottom of pulley 95 while the top thereofis aligned with the top of movable pulley I99 on stud 55. From thebottom of pulley I99 the cable C extends to the bottom of pulley I9Irotatable on stud I92 fixed to -bracket32, and then leads to a terminalI93 connected to the needle carriageat I95.

All the movable pulleys are of substantially the same thickness, andfrom. Fig. 4 it will be seen .that the straintoward the left exerted onstud by -pul-leys 99 and 95, which are in positions one and two,respectively, in front of lever 54, is I balanced by the pull to theleft of pulley I99, which is in position three relatively to the leverand behind the latter. There is therefore little or no twisting of stud55 and lever 54 because of the different distances of these pulleys fromthe lever. The i-nclination of the stationary pulleys not only-allow thevarious sections. of the cable C to leave the pulleys withouttendency toslip off .them, but also permits the balancing of forces 1 as described.

The other half C2 of the cable is similar to .the part C" and cooperateswith a set of pulleys like those already set forth. From terminal I98connected to the needle carriage at I96, cable section C2 leads to thetop of stationary pulley I99 rotatable on a stud supported by bracket 38,at the outer or right hand :end of the needle rail as seenin Figs. 3and 4. 'The plane of pulley .I 9I is vertical, since: it receivessection C' from the rearmost movable pulley I99 aligned with it,

. but pulley-I99 is slightly oblique, see Fig. 6, to

. permit cable C2, when leaving the bottom of pulley I99, toextend tothe bottom of movable ,pulley II9. on-stud .55-immediately in front ofpulley I99 along. a line substantially parallel to the plane of pulley II9. Cable section, C2 then leadsto inclined stationary pulley IIIrotating .on a yoked bearing I I2 threadedintolo a k t 3g dl i d d qsiiqm ylnuts. L3. :ErQm

the bottomof pulley H l the cable (52 leads "to the stroke.

bottom of movable pulley'll4 just behind lever 54 on stud 55 and isthen'led to stationary pulley "H5 rotatable on a bearing H6 similar incon- 7 struction and mounting to part H2. Pulley H5 is inclinedconsiderably, similar to pulley 55, but of larger diameter, so that itstop aligns with the top of pulley H4 and its bottom with the bottom ofmovable pulley ill to which cable C2 extends. Pulley H1 is the frontmost pulley on stud 55 and cable C2 leads from it to the previouslydescribed terminal 86. All the pulleys are grooved as suggested in Figs.5 and 6, and the cables lead to the pulleysin the planes of the pulleysand their flanges. 0, section C2 extends around the movable pulleys insuch a way as to balancethe strains on stud 55 and there is noappreciable tendency to twist lever 54. I f In operation, and assumingthat shaft 44 rotates uniformly 'asindicated by arrow (1, Fig. 3, andthat'the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3 with the needle inthe shed,-corresponding to the dot and dash position of Fig. 9, thelever 54 will rock to the left by counter-clockwise rotation of shaft44, and in doing so will carry the :six movable pulleys which rotate onthe stud 55. As these pulleys move to the left the distance between stud55 and the fixed pulleys at the left of the mechanism decreases toshorten the length of that part of cable section C extending to the leftfrom pulleys 90, 95 and H10. At the same time the length of cable C2extending to the-right right hand pulleys will increase. The increase atthe right is compensated for by the shortening at the left, and thatpart of the cable extending between the large fixed pulleys llll and I69therefore moves to the right and carries the needle carriage toward thepulley I09 to retract" the needle from the shed. During motion to theleft, lever 54 will pass I from the dot and dash position of Fig. 9through the full line position, at which time the needle is correspondsto the end of the needle retracting The harnesses II will then changeand the lay will beat up the weft laid by the needle.

As shaft 44 continues to rotate lever 54 willl 7 start to move to theright and in doing so will cause the cable'to have motion the reverse ofthat already described to move the needle carriage to the left to inserttheneedle in the new shed.

This complete reciprocation of the needle occurs once for each beatup ofthe lay and change of "the harnesses.

I have found that a needle motion constructed as set forth herein can beoperated at ahigher rate of speed than motions heretofore constructed.due to the fact that the cable and movable pulleys are comparativelylight.

I have shown six movable pulleys, three for inserting and'three forretracting the needle, and since each movable pulley either slackens ortakes up, depending upon thedirection ofits motion, twice as much cablef as the distance through which it moves, I am able to drive theneedle'through a distance six times the length of travel of stud 55 in ahori- As with cable section" from pulleys I ll], H4 and H1 to thestationary m in causing needle movement. I find also that by making the.pulleys of a composition material,

' such as a phenol-condensation product, they can be made thin and atthe same time withstand wear as the cable moves along their grooves.

During the operation of the" needle motion the cable sections C and C2are placed under tension alternately to move the needle into and out ofthe shed, respectively. When lever 54 starts its motion to the rightfrom the dotted line position of Fig. 9 the needle is momentarily atrest out of the shed, but'the spring 11 will be under an initialcompression sufficient to hold the cable sections taut. This initialcompression is sufficient to withstand the strain necessary to overcomethe inertia of the needle and its carriage during the first part of theinsertion stroke. As lever 54 reaches the full line position of Fig. 9,however, the needle is accelerating at its fastest rate and the pullexerted by cable'section C on the rod 16 is likely to cause a slightfurther compression of spring TI. The spring will yield only a smallamount, however, and any accompanying slackness in the section C2 willnot be enough to permit the cable to slip out of the grooves of thepulleys it engages.' As the lever 54 moves from the full line to the dotand dash line position in Fig. 9 its motion is retarded, but the needletends by its momentum to run ahead of the lever, thereby setting up anadditional tension in section C2.

An inspection of Fig. 1 will show, however, that it is necessary to havethe needle eye l5 properly located with respect to the shuttle l1 and inorder to effect this relationship the cable section CZ is'rigidlyanchored by means of the rod 82, the additional tension in section C notmaterially afiecting the location of the needle eye. On the reverse orretracting stroke it is desirable to get the needle out of the shed asquickly as possible, and this result will be accomplished, since therewill be no yielding of the anchor of cable section C2 when the needleacceleration approaches or reaches its maximum acceleration. When theneedle tends to override lever 54 while moving out of the shed thespring 1'! can yield, inasmuch as it is not necessary for the needle toregister with any other mechanism, such as shuttle 11, when out of theshed. It is to be understood that the shuttle I! loops'its selvagethread with the weft thread W laid by the needle in a very short timewhile the needle is accurately positioned for this operation. By havingcable section C2 rigidly anchored I am able to place the needlecorrectly for cooperation with theshuttle I1. Ex-

perience has shown that a needle motion constructed as set forth hereinpermits almost unfailing cooperation between the shuttle I1, and theneedle, and the so-called slip shots, which have occurred ratherfrequently with Axminster needle mechanisms as heretofore constructed,practically never occur with my invention. The spring ll furthermoreserves the purpose of keeping the cable in close contact with thepulleys to prevent any appreciable'slippage and as a result of thisaction .of spring 11 wearing of both the cable and the pulleys'isreduced to a minimum.

In order that the relation between the selvage "shuttle and the weftneedle may be understood in'the description of the operation of themechanisrn already given, reference may be had to Figs. 1 and 13. It is'to be understood that the selvage shuttle I! must have its operatingmovement when the needle is fully inserted into the shed so that theselvage thread can pass through the weft loop carried by the needle. Inorder to provide for the correct timing of the selvage shuttle, theshaft 40, which extends entirely. across the loom, carries a cam 29having three spaced cam points 48. These points cooperate witha lever 49the upper end of which is attached by means of a connector 61 to a lever68 secured to the lower part of shaft 22. During operation of the loomshaft 40 makes a rotation every third beat of the lay, but the three campoints 48 cause the shuttle to have an operating motion every beat ofthe loom. The setting of the cam 29 on shaft 40 is such that shaft 22oscillates when the needle is at or near the end of its stroke into thewarp shed. The selvage shuttle operating mechanism may be of the usualtype but the timing of its operation is closely related to the movementof the movable pulleys and occurs when the latter are at or near theirextreme right hand positions shown in dot and dash lines, Fig. 9.

On the weft needle inserting stroke the final position of the needle isdetermined by cable section 02 and its anchor 82, since it is thissectionof the cablewhich holds theneedle back, while the other sectionC'is moving it into the shed; The shuttle actually moves in two stagesthe first of which passes the advancing nose 69 through the welt loopwhile the needle is fully inserted in the shed, and the needle is thenstartedon its outward motion, after-which the shuttle has its secondmovement and passes completely through-the loop of weft. The anchor 82-serves very effectively to insure accurate registry and. rapid start ofthe needle away from the shuttle.

It is occasionally necessary to repair the needle or the needlecarriage, an operation which ordinarily requires removal of these partsfrom the loom, and under these conditions it is desirable that thecables be maintained in their normalposition with respect to the sheavesso that it willbe unnecessary to fit the cables to the sheaves after theneedle and its carriage have been reinserted in the 100m. In order tocarry this feature of my invention into effect I provide the structureshown in detail in Figs. 11 and 12, where the carriage I2 isshown ashaving an angular shoe 3! into. which the needle end is fitted. Thisshoe slides between the needle. rail bars 33 and 34, andprojectingforwardly from itis a lug I26 into which are threaded the screws I05 andI06for the cable terminals I03. and I08, respectively. Each of thesescrews is threaded into the lug I26 and has a shoulder bearing sectionI21 which passes through thecorresponding cable terminal and alsothrougha link I28. This link has a close fit with the section I21, hence astrain in one of the cable. sections tending to move the carriage I2 inone direction would be communicated to the screw for the terminal of theother cable section. In this way both of. the screws I05 and I06 arerequired to assist in transmitting a force from either of the cablesections to the needle carriage. I V

Should it be necessary to repair either the, needle or the carriage, thescrews I05 and I06 can be disconnected from the lug I26 but kept incontact with their respective terminals I03 and-I08 andremain connectedtogether by the link I28. This relation, shown in dotted lines at thebottom of Fig. 12, serves to maintain the cable sections properlytrained around their sheaves while disconnected from the needle andstructure can be reassembled as shown in full' lines in Fig. 12withoutthe necessity of training the cable around the several pulleys. V

Fromthe foregoing it will be seen thatI have provided a simple form ofneedle actuating mechanism for an Axminster loom including stationaryand movable pulleys which cooperate with a. flexible cable connected tothe needle carriage in such a way that motion of the movable pulleyscauses the carriage to move along the needle: rail. The actuatingmechanism is light and the needle can therefore be moved into and out ofthe shed for each beat of the loom, thereby permitting the attainment ofhigh speeds in Axminster looms. The fact that a. permanent connectionexists between the needle and the needle carriage, rendering unnecessaryany disconnection between these parts under normal operation, is animportant factor in contributing to the success of my invention. It willfurther be seen that wearing of. the different parts of the mechanism isuniform and that both the sections C and C2 can be made of substantiallythe samesizecable due to the factthat the strain of inserting the needleis. substantially the same as that required for its retraction. Also,the spring 1'! places the cable-under an initial strain which holds. itagainst the cables to prevent slippage, thusavoiding wear. The spring isalso of use in permitting asmall amount of yielding whenthe needle hasreachedits highest rate of acceleration during insertion into the shed,and also when the needle tends to override the lever 54 after reachingits maximum speed. The normal tensionexerted by the spring holds theends 'of the cable sections remote from the needle carriage insubstantially fixed relative position. The fixed anchorage for cablesection C2 determines accurately the location of the needle eye. I5withrespect to the salvage shuttle I1. The diagonal stationary sheavesmake possible thealignment of the various sections of the cable withtheplanes of themovable pulleys with which they cooperateiandi there islittle or no wear of the flanges of the ypulley'sm The preformed wire isalso a significant feature of my invention in that the cable ispractically free frominternal strains and there is a minimum tendencyfor the individualistrandsof the cable to break, or project beyond the.outline of the cable should they break. It will further be noted thatthe needle rail is part ofa rectangular frame which supports thestationary pulleys, this feature being possible due to the fact that theneedle rail is stationary. The link suspension of the lever 54 permitsthe movable pulleys to move in a horizontal linetoward and from thefixed pulleys. Another feature of my invention is found in the fact thatthe cable section C, for instance, is trained around three of themovable pulleys in such a way that the combined strain transmitted tothe lever 54 from two of the sheaves is balanced by the straintransmitted to the lever through the third sheave, thus avoidingdistortion of the lever. A further feature of my invention of practicaloperating importance is the factv that the link whichconnects theterminal attaching screws I05. and I06 serves to maintain th cabletrainedaround, the sheaves'when it'is temporarily'disconnected from theneedle carriage. I r V It will also be noted that the selvage-shuttlemechanism is timed with lever 54 so that the cam points 48rock shaft 22to cause an interlooping of the salvage thread with respect to the weftlaid by the needle each time the movable pulleys are near their righthand or outermost position shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 9. Havingthus described my invention it will be seen that changes andmodifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wishto be limited to the set of, movable pulleysin a direction toward andfrom the stationary pulleys to cause the carriage to reciprocate alongthe rail, and yielding means to anchor the other end of the cable, saidyieldingfmeans normally maintaining tension in the cableto hold thelatter constantly in close contact'with the pulleys.

ZyIn a weft needle operating mechanism for an Axminster loom having aneedle rail and a needle carriage to be reciprocated along the rail to,move a needleinto and out of a warp shed, a' cable having anintermediate part thereof attached to the carriage, spaced'stationarypulleys aroundwhich extend'the parts of the cable leading-from thecarriage, a set of movable pulleys direction toward and from thestationary pulleys to cause the carriage to move the needle into theshed and tension one end of the cable when said movable pulleys move inone direction and move the carriage to retract the needle from the shedand tension the other end of the cable when said movable pulleys move inthe'other direction, means'tdhold said one end of the cable fixed, andyielding means attached to the other end'of the cable to'preserve anormal tension in the cable greater than 'the tension set up in thecable at the beginning of a motion of the needle carriage along theneedle rail.

3. In a weft needle operating mechanism for an.'Axminster loom having aneedle rail and a needle carriage to reciprocate along the rail to movea weft needle into and out of a warp shed, a cable having anintermediate part thereof attached to the carriage and having one endthereof fixed, spaced stationary pulleys around which extend parts of acable leading from the carriage, aset of movable pulleys,'the cablehaving parts thereof extending from the stationary pulleys to and aroundthe movable pulleys, means to reciprocate/the set of movable pulleys inunison in adirection toward and from the stationary pulleys to cause thecarriage to move toward the warp shed when said movable pulleys move inone direction and cause said carriage to move away from the warp shedwhen the movable pulleys move in the opposite direction, and yieldingmeans connected to the other end of the cable to maintain a tension onthe cable, said movable pulleys to tension that part of the cable theend of which is-fixed when the carriage moves away from the warp shedand said movable pulleys to tension the other part of the cable the endof which is attached to said yielding means when the carriage movestoward the warp shed.

4. In a weft needle operating mechanism for an Axminster loom having aneedle rail and a needle carriage to reciprocate along the rail to movea weft needle into and out of a warp shed, a cable having'anintermediate part thereof attached to the carriage and having one endthereof fixed, spaced stationary pulleys around which extend parts of acable leading from the carriage, a set of movable pulleys, the cablehaving parts thereof extending from the stationary pulleys to and aroundthe movable pulleys, means to reciprocate the set of movable pulleys inunison in a direction toward and from the stationary pulleys to causethe carriage to move toward the warp shed when said movable pulleys movein one direction and cause said carriage to move away from the warp shedwhen the movable pulleys move in the opposite direction, and yieldingmeans connected to the other end of the cable to maintain a tension onthe cable, that'part of the cable which is drawn after the carriage whenthe latter moves toward th shed having the end thereof fixed and thatpart of the cable which is drawn after the carriage when the lattermoves away from the shed having'the end thereof attached to saidyielding means.

5. In a weft needle operating mechanism for a loom, a needle rail, aneedle carriage to slide along the rail, a weft needle secured at oneend to ,the carriage and having a weft receiving eye in the other endthereof: opposite to the carriage, a cable having an intermediate partthereofattached to the carriage and having the ends thereofsubstantially fixed with respect to each other, spaced stationarypulleys around which extend the parts of the cable leading from thecarriage, a set of movable pulleys, the cable having parts extendingfrom the stationary pulleys to and around the movable pulleys, and meansto reciprocate th movable pulleys in unison in a direction toward andfromthe stationary, pulleys to cause th carriage to reciprocate alongthe rail, said cable formed of a plurality of metallic strands eachhaving a normal spiral form.

6. In a weft needle operating mechanismfor a loom, a needle rail, aneedl carriage to slide along the rail, a cable having the intermediateparts thereof attached to the carriage and having the ends thereofsubstantially fixed with'respect to each other, spaced stationarypulleys around which extend the parts of the cable leading from thecarriage a set of movable pulleys, both the stationary and movablepulleys being formed of a phenol condensation product, the cable havingparts extending from the stationary pulleys'to and around the movablepulleys, and means to reciprocate the movable pulleys in unison in adirection toward and from the stationary pulleys tocause the carriage toreciprocate along,,the rail, said cable formed of several preformed wirestrands each of which in its normal condition is of spiral form theseveral strands thus normally formed being combined to form a cableformed of two sections the ends of which remote from the carriage aresubstantially fixed with respect to each other, a system of stationaryand movable pulleys around which the cable sections are trained toeffect movement of the needle carriage along the needle rail by movementof the movable pulleys in the system, a link between the other ends ofthe cable sections, and attaching means extending through the link toconnect said other ends of the cable sections to th needle carriage,said link capable of transmitting a driving force derived from the cableto the needle carriage through the attaching means.

8. In aweft needle operating mechanism for an Axminster loom havinganeedle rail and a needle carriage to be reciprocated therealong, a cableformed of two sections the ends of which remote from the carriage aresubstantially fixed with respect to each other, a system of stationaryand movable pulleys around which the cable sections are trained toeffect movement of the needl carriage along the needle rail by movementof the movable pulleys in the system, and attaching means normallyconnected to the carriage and connecting the cable sections together andtransmitting driving force from the cable sections to the needlecarriage and detachable from the carriage whilermaintaining the cablesections connected together.

9. In a weft needle operating mechanism for an Axminster loom having aneedle rail and a needle carriage to be reciprocated therealong,

a cable formed of two sections the ends of which remote from the cablecarriage are substantially fixed with respect to each other, a system ofstationary and movable pulleys around which the cable sections aretrained to effect movement of the needle carriage along the needle railby movement of the movable pulleys, a link between the other end of thecable sections, a pair of spaced attaching means extending through thelink and having holding connection with the needle carriage, saidattaching means being connected each to one of said other ends of thecable sections, said link serving to holdsaid other ends of the cablesections in normal position when said attaching means are disconnectedfrom the needle carriage.

10. In a weft needle operating mechanism for an Axminster loom having aneedle rail and. a needle carriage to be reciprocated therealong, acable formed of two sections, the end of one of said sections remotefrom the cable carriage being fixed, a system of stationary and movablepulleys around which the cable sections are trained to effect movementof the needle carriage along the needle rail by movement of the movablepulleys, means normally connected to the carriage and connecting thecable sections together and transmitting driving force from the cablesections to the needle carriage, said attaching means being detachablefrom the needle carriage while maintaining the cable sections connectedtogether, and resilient means acting on the end of the other cablesection remote from the needle carriage to assist in maintaining theholding, connection between said attaching means and the ends of thecable sections connected thereto.

11. In a weft needle mechanism for an Axminster loom having on one sidethereof a needle rail along which a needle carriage and a weft needlepermanently connected to the carriage make a complete reciprocation foreach of a series of regularly recurring successive loom beats, a selvagshuttle on the other side of the loom to cooperate with the weft of theneedle when the latter is in the warp shed, a stranded wire cable havingan intermediate part thereof connected to the needle carriage and havingthe ends thereof substantially fixed with respect to eachother, spacedstationary pulleys around which extend the parts of the cable leadingfrom the needle carriage, a set of movable pulleys, support means forthe movable pulleys to cause the latter when moved to travel in astraight line extending between the stationary pulleys, the cable havingparts thereof extending from the stationary pulleys to and around themovable pulleys, an operating member having a complete movement for eachbeat of the loom, connections between the member and the set of movablepulleys to give the latter a complete reciprocating move ment in unisonrelatively to the stationary pulleys once for each beat of the loom,thereby causing the needle to move into and out of the warp shed on eachbeat of the loom, and means connected to the member to give the selvageshuttle an operating movement when the movable pulleys have been movedby the member to that end of their motion which moves the needle intothe shed.

12. In a weft needl mechanism for an Axminster loom having on one sidethereof a needle rail along which a needle carriage and a weft layingneedle connected to the carriage make a complete reciprocation for eachof a series of regularly recurring successive loom beats, a selvageshuttle on the other side of the m to cooperate with the weft of theneedle when the latter is completely in the warp shed, a stranded wirecable having an intermediate part thereof connected to the needlecarriage and having the ends thereof substantially fixed with respect toeach other, spaced stationary pulleys around which extend the parts ofthe cable leading from the needle carriage, a set of movable pulleys,support means for the movable pulleys to cause the latter when moved totravel in a straight line extending between the stationary pulleys, thecable having parts thereof extending from the stationary pulleys to andaround the movable pulleys, a shaft extending across the loom, shuttledriving means operated by the shaft to give the selvage shuttle anoperating motion for each beat of the loom, and pulley driving meansoperated by the shaft to give the movable pulleys a completereciprocating movement in unison once for each beat of the loom to causethe needle to move into and out of the warp sheds once for each beat ofthe loom, the shuttle driving means operated by the shaft causing saidselvage shuttle to have an operating movement with respect to the weftof the needle when said shaft has operated the pulley driving meanssubstantially to complete movement of the movable pulleys on that partof their reciprocating movement which inserts the needle into the Warpshed.

13. In a weft needle mechanism for an AX- minster loom having on oneside thereof a needle rail along which a needle carriage and a weftlaying needle connected to the carriage mak a complete reciprocation foreach of a series of regularly recurring successive loom beats, a selvageshuttle on th other side of the loom to cooperate with the weft of theneedle when the latter is completely in the warp shed, a stranded wirecable having an intermediate part thereof connected to the needlecarriage and having the ends thereof substantially fixed with respect toeach other, spaced stationary pulleys around which extend theparts ofthe cable leading from the needle carriage, a set of movable pulleys,support means for the movable pulleys to cause the latter when moved totravel in a straight line extending between the stationary pulleys, thecable having parts thereof extendingfrom the stationary pulleys to andaround the'movable pulleys, an operating shaft extending across theloom, connections between the shaft and the selvage shuttle to cause thelatter to have an operating motion each beat of the loom when the weftneedle is fully inserted into the warp shed, and other connectionsbetween the shaft and the movable pulleys to give the latter a completereciprocating movement in unison for each beat of the loom to cause theneedle to move into and out of the warp sheds on each beat of the loom,said other connections acting to move the movable pulleys to an xtremposition at substantially the same time that the first named connectionsgive the selvage shuttle an operating movement, said extreme movement ofthe movable pulleys being that corresponding to the position of theneedle when the latter is fully inserted into the warp shed. I

14. In a weft needle mechanism for an Axmm'nster loom' having on oneside thereof a needle rail along which a needle carriage and a weftlaying needle connected to the carriage make a complete reciprocationfor each of a series of regularly recurring successive loom beats, aselvage shuttle on the other side of the loom to cooperatewith the Weftof the needle when the latter is completely inthe warp shed, a strandedwire cable having an intermediate part thereof connected to the needlecarriage and having the ends thereof substantially fixed with respect toeach other, spaced stationary pulleys around which extend the parts ofthe cable leading from the needle carriage, a set of movable pulleys,the cable having parts thereof extending from the stationary pulleys toand around the movable pulleys, a single actuator for the selvageshuttle and the movable pulleys, means connecting said actuator to theselvage shuttle to give V the latter an operating movement each beat ofthe loom, and other means connecting said actuator to th movable pulleysto give the latter a movement to cause motion of the weft needle intothe warp shed which is completed at substantially the same time that thefirst named means gives said selvage shuttle an operating movement.

15. In a weft needle mechanism for an AX- minster loom having on oneside thereof a needle rail along which a needle carriage and a weftlaying needle connected to the carriage make a complete reciprocationfor each of a series of regularly recurring successive loom beats, aselvage shuttle on the other side of the loom to cooperate with the weftof the needle when the cable having parts thereof extending from thestationary pulleys to and around the movable pulleys, means to hold infixed position that end of the cable which follows the needle carriagewhen the latter is moving to insert the needle into the warp shed, acommon actuator for the selvage shuttle and the movable pulleys,mechanism operated by said actuator to give the selvage shuttle anoperating movement when the weft needle is completely inserted into thewarp shed and positioned for cooperation with the selvage shuttle bysaid fixed end of the cable, and other means connecting the actuator tothe movable pulleys to cause th latter to have acomplete reciprocationin unison for each beat of the loom to cause the needle to move into andout of a warp shed on each beat of the loom, the first named meansoperative to give the selvage shuttle its operating movement when thesecond named means has substantially completed that movement of themovable pulleys corresponding to the insertion of the needle in the warpshed. V

OSCAR V. PAYNE.

